Highlight: John Cage Happening by Scrag Mountain Music

Of every event offered this New Years’ Highlight, “John Cage Happening” is probably the most distinct. Put on by Scrag Mountain Music, “John Cage Happening” takes place in three different rooms, each one containing a different element and artist to capture the spirit and music of visionary composer John Cage.

In one room sits Jacob Greenberg, a world-wide acclaimed pianist, at his keyboard playing John Cage’s “Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano.” The piece was made after Cage’s exposure to Indian visual and performance arts, and is made up of a cycle of twenty other, shorter pieces, intended to represent “permanent” emotions. In another room, there dwells renown-sopranos Mary Bonhag and Jessica Allen, assisted by Evan Premo on the double bass. They’ll be sharing excerpts from several of Cage’s works, namely his 1980 piece “Litany for the Whale” and his silent piece “4’ 3”.” And in the third, final room rests a screen with performance clips, interviews and experimental films all to do with John Cage on loop for anyone who heads on in.

Of the artists tasked with bringing this exhibition to life, Jacob Greenberg is the only pianist. Having worked as a chamber musician, orchestral player, soloist, and being a member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, Jacob has quite a bit of experience under his belt, and looks to bring it all to Highlight and Scrag Mountain Music for the 31st. Alongside a slew of solo albums such as Hanging Gardens, Solitary, Bach Refracted and volumes of Music of Ursula Mamlok, Jacob has and does record for a vast number of other labels from the likes of Sony, Naxos, Mode, Centaur and New Amsterdam. If this all wasn’t enough, he also serves on the faculty of the Juilliard School, Tanglewood Music Center, Hunter College, and the City University of New York.

In the second room stands Mary Bonhag and Jessica Allen (and Evan Premo, but I’ll get to that), both known and respected sopranos in their own right. Mary, considered a “new music specialist,” has an over decade long history in voice performance and music, all the way from the University of Michigan to the Montpelier Chamber Orchestra to (of course) Scrag Mountain Music. Mary has also sung with both the 21st Century Consort and the American Symphony Orchestra. She can be found featured chamber music festivals across America, including Stanford Live, Five Boroughs Festival and the Yellow Barn.

Now, in regards to Jessica Allen, her background fits snugly both in the fields of music and theater. She can be found often performing in musical theater, operas and choirs, and sometimes as a guest soloist throughout New England. Jessica took on the role of the Gingerbread man and Peter Pan in Shrek: The Musical in 2013, Maria from The Sound of Music in 2010, and Grace from “Annie” in 2012. In addition to acting and music, Jessica teaches private voice lessons in Middlebury, VT, and is both the Director of Music at the Congregational Church of Middlebury and the Co-founder and Administrator of the Middlebury Bach Festival.

Pictured (left to right): Evan Premo, Jessica Allen, Jacob Greenberg, Mary Bonhag

Scrag Mountain Music, funnily enough, exists in thanks to Mary Bonhag and her husband, the aforementioned Evan Premo. As both the founders and art directors of the organization, Evan and Mary set out to make something to bridge the gap between artists and communities, having been inspired both by chamber music festivals they took part in previously and Evan’s experience with master teaching artists at Carnegie Hall. Additionally, Evan holds the title of Artistic Director and Founder of “Beethoven and Banjos,” a residence in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, that aims to brings together artists of both folk and and classical background for cross-genre concerts.

The intent of Scrag Mountain Music is said to be to “create a space where artists and community directly relate and enrich one another, where the locale is equally as important as the music making, and where the music is community supported and accessible to all.” Although not confirmed, this definitely feels like the mindset behind “John Cage Happening” and its open three room structure, allowing the community to almost travel through the different forms of his art themselves.

For ten seasons now, Scrag Mountain Music has been putting up performances, open rehearsals, school engagement programs and pop up concerts, constantly moving to learn from and interact with their audience and community through the music. “John Cage Happening” is the latest in a long line of their innovative performances, featuring some of their most innovative performers. When not performing solo across the states, the four of them can be found in their separate rooms on December thirty first; playing piano, reading excerpts or blasting bass respectively in the name of John Cage.

This Bright Ideas Project event was crowdsourced from Vermonters, and generously powered by VSECU.

Text by Thomas Shimmield.

Photos courtesy of Highlight and Scrag Mountain Music.